Amor
by Lockea Stone
Summary: Love. AU in which Anna was never turned into a monster, but she was indeed separated from Kratos with only Noishe and Lloyd. What might have come to pass, had things turned out so differently?
1. Prologue: illa lacrima o mei

Amor (Love)

AU in which Anna was never turned into a monster, but she was indeed separated from Kratos with only Noishe and Lloyd. What might have come to pass, had things turned out so differently?

AN: Everyone makes Anna into this really strong, hard-headed person. But when I think of Anna, I think of a passive/defiant person who doesn't give in but doesn't raise a scene. She does know when to quit, however. She's calm and serene and sweet, not a fighter by any means. I figured Lloyd got his hard headedness from his father and Anna was the patient one. So… Anna's not weak, she's strong in a fragile way.

Prologue: _hinc illae lacrimae _(hence these tears)

"It's so silent in these woods at night."

Anna whispered the words, but Kratos heard them. She followed him blindly, even though she clutched the sleeping child closer to her chest with each step into the darkening forest. She trusted him implicitly, she had since before Lloyd was born, but even she could not summon faultless courage in dark, cold woods.

She was hardly an adult, only seventeen now, and she'd had no choice but to place her life in this man's hands. This mercenary, this _angel_. "How much farther until Iselia?"

Kratos was kind to her, and she loved him. Noishe had always liked Kratos so Anna felt obliged as well. After all, he was the one who made sure she and her child never ended up back in Kvar's hands. "About an hour now, just a little longer Anna, and then we'll have a warm bed to sleep in." He tried to sound optimistic for her, because he loved her with the same blind devotion she showed him. She was a breath of fresh air, soft-spoken and polite to a fault, yet her determination demanded admiration, for she had always stood firm in her decisions.

So they continued on in silence, except when the child awoke, crying. Then Kratos took the boy named Lloyd and held him close, pointing through the canopy to the stars that lighted the midnight path, and he whispered, "Do you see the stars? The stars that watch over you?" And the child settled, happy in his father's strong and sure arms, content to be with them no matter what.

As the minutes passed, Kratos heard nothing save the heavy breaths of his tired wife and soft pants as his arshis, Noishe, kept her company. Everything seemed calm enough but still he refused to lower his guard. The last think Kratos wanted was to be caught unaware before getting his family to the safety of the town's gate. He wanted to be as far away from these haunted woods as soon as possible. He took no chances for his wife's safety.

Time passed slowly. She did not know when it happened, or how, but everything played out in slow motion. Kratos spun about and pushed her and Lloyd away just as arrows rained down from above. One sliced his arm but none hit her or Noishe. Instantly desian after desian emerged from the woods, bats out of the hellish nightmares she had dreamed the first weeks of freedom. Time had eased her fears, but now they returned as the largest group yet attacked.

Her husband, whom she adored with all her heart, fought bravely, but even he with his angelic powers could not stand up before so many. They were forced to retreat, Anna and Lloyd always behind Kratos and Noishe, who fought just as bravely as his master. Further and further they retreated, pushed closer to the cliff's edge.

She stumbled, "Kratos!" the cry rang out desperate over the clashing swords. The angel turned and saw the young woman, no more than a girl really holding the now awake but silent child in one slender arm, the other reached out toward him with her cry. She fell, her skirts a swirl and a flutter, her brown hair spread about in the appearance of a true, fallen goddess.

She fell. With that child clutched to her chest as he watched Noishe plunge over the edge after them, and it all went dark from there.

* * *

A rich, deep, and hearty laughter, a warm feeling and something spicy in the air, the comforting weight of a creature on her legs.

Anna's eyes opened, staring unseeingly all around. The place in which she had slept was humble, but warm and softly scented with spices and the tangy-metallic smell of metal. A rough, home worn quilt covered her and on top of that, Noishe slept on her legs. She reached out weakly to pet him and the dog-like creature opened his eyes, staring mournfully at her. He whined piteously.

It attracted the attention of the stout man who had awoken her with his warm laugh. He came to stand beside her, "Ahh, you're awake now, are ye?" His accent was odd, Anna thought she'd never heard such an odd accent ever in her young life. "I was worried, when I found ye, the boy cryin' and the dog whinin' the saddest song I ever heard. Ye were out for a few days, but all the danger's passed now."

She nodded her thanks, then turned to see Lloyd standing there on his unsteady toddler legs, staring at her with big brown eyes. She smiled shakily at him, and he smiled back, big and content. "Mama!" He cried, flinging himself into her arms. "I was scareded, all da big men an dada fightin' and… and… I was scared!"

Anna wrapped her arms around him. "Shh." She whispered, "It's all right now Lloyd, I'm okay, and so is Noishe. This nice man helped us, and he took care of you and Noishe, didn't he?"

The child stood back and turned his large brown eyes onto the stout man before them. "Yeah! Mr. Dirk gave Noshy an' me some tasty soup! He was nice."

Anna nodded to her son but spoke instead to her beneficiary, "I thank you, Master Dirk, for caring for my son as well. I'm eternally grateful." She tried to sit up, but the large pile of dog on her legs made the feat impossible. "Oi, get off Noishe; my legs are asleep."

The dog turned big brown eyes on her and whined again, then he hopped off and ran outside. Anna stared after him for a few minutes until Lloyd explained, "Noishy's sad, he misses dada."

"Oh." She remarked lamely, rising to her feet and straightening her rumpled dress. The dress Kratos had bought for her, with it's long white sleeves and blue embroidery with a purple silk sash, her favorite colors. She stretched and brushed past Dirk and Lloyd, following the protozoan.

Noishe sat on the bridge crossing over a small stream, his head on his oversized paws. He whined when he saw her, but did not raise his head. Anna sat beside him with a sigh. "I'm sorry. If he hasn't come for us by now he must believe we are dead. I'm sure Lord Yggdrasil has taken him back to Derris Kharlan. Whatever the case, we are alone and we have to be brave. It's just you and me raising Lloyd now."

Another whine, followed by two soft yips. His tale wagged once.

Anna laughed. "I know, I hurt too. I think it's best we go back to Luin, even if it is close to…" she trailed off, gazing into the sparkling water. "Anyway, I know my brother still lives there. Lloyd will need a father figure." She sighed again, this time heavy with all sorts of burdens. She wanted to cry, but thought she had to be strong, just like him. "I wish it wasn't this way. I just want Kratos back with me. I just want him to hold me and tell me how much he loves me. I want things to be the way they used to, walking from one end of the world to the other." She sobbed weakly into Noishe's green fur.

"I want to him to come find me. He should be more powerful than that stupid angel. He should be able to come rescue me, but he can't, and he might as well be dead." Noishe nudged the crying girl softly, because even though she had born a child, she was still just a young girl. "I'm sorry. We should go, it's no use crying when we have a future to face!"

* * *

Dirk blessed them with gifts on the day the three left his home. To Anna he gave a bracelet that she could wear along with her exsphere, and a sack of gold. He gave them a set of fine leather worked saddlebags that had been customized to fit Noishe, and plenty of food for the trip. Anna had nothing to return him, but she promised that she would someday repay her debt, and the company set out.

They didn't travel alone, for fear of monsters. A caravan found them one night and offered them protection as far as Izoold. At Izoold, they stayed for a few days when Anna fell ill. She went to visit the local doctor and discovered something that seemed both a miracle and a curse; she was pregnant.

When she recovered, they left with a different caravan, one bound for Hima, and then Luin. While it was not uncommon for women to travel, it was uncommon for an unmarried woman to bring a child, especially a pregnant one. There were questions asked about the father, and why she traveled. Anna hastily replied that the father had passed away and she was traveling home to live with family.

Of course, few believed the story, and even less as they neared Luin. People knew Anna there, they remembered the sweet priestess initiate who had dedicated herself to the goddess Martel. They remembered how she'd taken vows of chastity without any regret for what it meant, and how she'd smiled in service of her goddess.

They also remembered the desians. They remembered how the group of priests teaching children outside the town had thought they were safe, but the desians took every last one of them. Even Anna, who had tried her hardest to protect them.

So they formed their own conclusions, that Lloyd was the child of a desian, and that Anna's unborn child was also a desian babe, but she loved them anyway. It was the story Anna held, because it was easiest for her, and after a while she erased her memories. She forgot about Him, the one who set her free. All Anna recalled was purple feathers and the gentle touch of an angel.

They returned to Luin, and she gave birth. Her child, a daughter, was stillborn. She cried, and died a little, day by day. Some people said it was the trauma of what had happened to a once free spirited young woman, and some said it is what happens to everyone, but eventually, Anna began to lose her mind.

And then, fifteen years passed by…

* * *

Spaz. I'm terrible. The angst-y goodness wasn't due to start for another few chapters. To explain what happened, they were attacked in the woods, caught unaware while traveling to Iselia. Anna fell over a cliff and Noishe dove after her. Kratos lost the fight and was taken to Derris Kharlan, believing Anna to be dead. Anna was found by Dirk who nursed her back to health and gave her a bracelet which Lloyd wears later in the story. Anna traveled with several caravans back to Luin to live with her brother and his family. Along the way, she invented an alibi she actually began to believe, consequently, Lloyd believes it too.

Anyway, the next chapter is actually the first because it starts fifteen years later with Sheena. Yes, this will be a Shelloyd fic, but there will also be a Colloyd splash too. I'm not sure when the story will end, but it will go all the way up to the Tower of Salvation the first time, at least, that's where my notes end. .

Chapter One: Semper Idem (Always the Same)

Lloyd is the hotheaded, noble minded son of the former priestess Anna. He's good with his hands and even better with a sword. All he wants is revenge against the desians, who he blames for his mother's illness. He'll do anything to protect the defenseless and help the Chosen.

Sheena is a mysterious woman who appeared seemingly out of nowhere and nearly caused a riot in Luin. She claims she was attacked by bandits and fled to safety here, but it's a sketchy story at best. Her honor won't allow her to leave until she has repaid her debt to Lloyd and all of Luin.

The two have only just met, and they stand miles apart, but things are getting interesting in the once boring city of Luin…

Lockea


	2. Chapter 1: gracia subsisto idem

Amor (Love)

Amor: Latin. In English translates to love, affection, infatuation, and passion

Thanks!

**Tsunade-chan**Yayness for me. Now go find Kasan Soulblade and read all her fics (there's a lot). She's got the greatest Krannas!

**Katt: **You make me ashamed to call you my sister. It's a damn good thing I love you (and your reviews).

**Other Kat (Lyra): **I think it's wonderful that you like my ideas, even if you don't like Emo Anna. You'll notice she's less emo in this chapter. I'm actually trying for vague and distant for Anna, but I guess emo's close enough. Sorry for the long wait.

If you haven't figured out yet, the words are in Latin. Also, have I told you guys what I originally wanted to name this? Precarious. The word actually sort of fits with the idea. Precarious means to be filled with danger and uncertainty. That single word should pretty much sum up the plot of the story.

Chapter One: _Gracia Subsisto Idem _(To Remain the Same)

_She ran as far as she could and stopped only when she collapsed. As soon as she awoke she ran some more and paused rarely to sleep. She'd failed. Again. She couldn't do the simplest things, like making a pact or assassinating one little girl._

_So she ran as punishment, never ceasing. She ran until she saw Luin, City of Hope, in the distance and knew she had run far enough. If she made it to Luin, she would be safe enough to recover from her own bout with near death. So she ran there, until she collapsed again._

In a row of houses that all appeared the same on the outside, silence reigned as the sun snuck over the horizon and cast heavy shadows against the ground. Along, row after row stretched, all nearly the same, even the one at the very end of the lane, where a different story played out within.

Anna began her day as she had for the last fifteen years by kneeling before the household alter to say her prayers. In the kitchen, her sister-in-law Safilla and her oldest niece, Allie worked to prepare the morning meal that would feed the three men and five women of the household. Upstairs, the men and children were waking up to the smell of frying bacon and fresh bread. Anna prayed for peace and guidance at the alter, but it wasn't to Martel she prayed, it was to an angel with violet wings. Even as she silently spoke her wishes of serenity, her own son, Lloyd, and the two youngest girls, Annie and Martel, came bounding down the stairs, Martel clinging to Lloyd's shirt tails. They crashed into the small room that served as a dinning/gathering room with enough noise to wake the neighbors- or the dead.

Lloyd deposited the two little girls at the table, gave Anna a small peck on the cheek and, like all hungry boys, entered the kitchen in search of food. Allie screamed and tossed him out in a matter of seconds, telling the boy to find someone else to bug.

Oh dear…

Anna hastily finished her prayers just in time for Lloyd to start poking her on the shoulder. "Dear, it's not nice to poke other people, especially when they're praying." Anna chided without any force behind the reprimand.

Lloyd chuckled and stopped. "Ahh, but it's more fun to poke you. Besides, you ignore me when I try to talk to you."

Anna shrugged and ignored her son… again.

"Mom?"

No answer.

"Mom…?" Another poke and he was at it again.

Finally, she swiped her son's hand away, "No poking, that's a bad habit to pick up Lloyd. If you don't stop you'll grow into a bad man."

Lloyd stared at her for a minute then stopped poking. "Okay, I'll go away now." He went back to the kitchen to see if breakfast was done as Aaron, Safilla's only son, and her husband came down for breakfast.

Seconds later, Allie emerged from the kitchen with a tray laden by morning foods of toast, potatoes, ham, and eggs. The family gathered around the table, quieted long enough to pray over the food, then began to eat with all the manners of a herd of barn animals. At least, that's what Lloyd, the lead cow (bull) thought when he finally stopped eating long enough to watch his family. Anna and Safilla were like sheep, in his mind, they gracefully took their time with everything, unaffected by the storm around them. Allie was a chicken, pecking at her food but not eating. Like most girls her age, she was dieting to attract the attention of a boy they went to school with. The children, Lloyd thought, were like ducklings that mimicked the older women clumsily. The men themselves were like boars, gobbling it all down as if this were their last meal.

At the end of the meal, the children, Lloyd, and Allie gathered up all their books from a special place beneath the shrine. In Luin, a mid sized town, the families had enough money to afford schoolbooks for the children who were taught by the priests of the church of Martel. They lived fairly comfortably, grateful to be able to educate their children.

The two teenagers left first, followed by the Martel, Annie, and Aaron and Anna was left alone again. She turned back to the alter as Safilla gathered up the morning's dishes and continued to pray.

* * *

"Hey, hey, Allie! What did you make for lunch?" Lloyd bounced alongside his cousins with the energy of a young child, carrying Annie piggyback style and occasionally dipping as though to drop her.

Allie, who was usually quite solemn and mature, didn't approve of the way Lloyd spoiled her younger siblings. "Sandwiches" She said simply. "There's also some cold quiche left over from two nights ago."

"Ah man…" The boy groaned, "I was hoping for something interesting like rice balls. The last time I had rice balls was at the summer festival."

"Sorry." Allie shrugged her shoulders, rearranging her books into a comfortable position in her arms. "I don't have the recipe." The group was coming near the temple, on the other side of one of Luin's many bridges. It was the ever vigilant Allie who saw the person laying half-dead on the steps of the temple, and her cry that alerted the others.

Lloyd followed Allie's finger and startled cry as the girl trembled. "I think… that whoever it is… is hurt. Badly." She dropped her books and ran.

Not one to be left behind, Lloyd followed, and quickly overtook Allie, even with Annie's extra added weight. He got there first and quickly set Annie down while he inspected the mysterious prone figure's wounds. The person was obviously female (and even Lloyd, who wasn't good with genders, could tell because of her _very_ curvy body), dressed in strange bloodstained clothes, blood trailing thinly from a wound in her side. Her black hair was held back in a hasty bun, which had partially come undone and spilled over her shoulder. Remembering what he had learned about first aid, Lloyd held his hand over the woman's mouth to see if she was breathing, and was relieved to find that, though slow, her air intake was steady.

"How is she?" Allie asked, kneeling down on the other side of the woman and running her hands along the body, looking for wounds.

"She's breathing." The teenager replied, "I think most of her injuries healed on their own. I wonder how she got here… and why."

His cousin replied softly, "I don't know. I'm going to go get mother, send Aaron to find a priest. Stay here and watch over her and the twins."

Lloyd nodded. "Of course."

The children split into their groups, Allie running towards their home and Aaron dashing around behind the temple where the priests had their quarters. Annie and Martel, eyes wide and uncomprehending the scene before them, kept their distance from the fallen woman. To pass the time until Allie and Aaron returned, Lloyd talked to the woman. "It's okay, Allie's gonna go get my mom. She's really good at healing, she can even cast small health spells. Aunt Safilla is used to helping injured people, she takes care of wounded travelers and sentries at the inn in town. They'll be here… they'll be here."

"Lloyd!" The shout shook Lloyd from his reverie. He glanced up and saw Anna frozen near where he knelt, staring at the body by his side. She wore her long, straight brown hair in a simple braid over on shoulder, her dress that day was beige with a dark purple sash, the long sleeves frayed from age. Instantly, she came forward and knelt, taking one of the injured woman's hands in her own.

As the tell-tale blue light began to pool between their hands, Lloyd heard as Anna whispered something he hadn't been meant to hear. "Why in the great tree's blessing is a Mizuhoan woman here, of all places?" She wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "All right, I think she'll be okay. Lloyd, We should take her home and keep her warm. I don't think anything's infected, but a warm fire and some liquids will help prevent anything from happening. With luck there will be no fever."

Aaron returned then, followed by the head priest of the chapel. The old man took one look at Anna and knew the woman had everything under control. He turned to Aaron, "Thank you for bringing me, but your aunt has everything under control. Come along young ones, let us begin the day while the adults tend to our visitor." He knelt in front of Martel. "I think we'll study fish today, wouldn't that be grand?" Martel nodded and begged him for a piggy back ride, which the cheerful old priest willingly gave. When Lloyd turned to follow, the priest stopped him, "You and Allie should help your mother. It's all right if you miss one day. The value of life is higher than the value of education."

The teenager nodded and returned to the side of the unconscious dark haired foreigner.

* * *

Sheena heard voices, but she did not understand them at first. Her mind lingered on her native language, and she imagined her grandfather, leaning over her and talking in his kind, deep voice.

"_Anata wa daijoubu ka?_" She imagined him saying to her. 'Are you okay?'

"_Onaka ga itai desu." _She mumbled, opening her eyes to see a very worried boy looking over her.

"I'm sorry," He said quietly, "but I don't understand you. I guess you don't speak our language."

Sheena shook her head, "I share your language." She replied, after struggling for a moment to make sense of what he said. "My stomach and head hurt."

"I guess it would. I mean, you did have a really big gash there. Mom says you're dehydrated and should drink plenty of water"--he poured a glass of the substance from a pitcher on the bedside table and handed it to her.--"and get a lot of rest."

"I understand. Thank you and your mother for helping me. My name is Sheena Fujibayashi."

"Name's Lloyd, and what happened to you anyway?"

"I was attacked by bandits." Sheena wasn't a very good liar, but she prayed to Martel that Lloyd wouldn't see through it. He seemed to buy the story because he simply nodded.

"There are a lot of bandits out and about, especially in these parts. Some of them work alongside the Desians and capture humans for the ranches. You're lucky you got away." He rambled, and Sheena, thankful she needn't say anything else, listened to him with sleepy fascination. "There are also a lot of monsters about, but since the tower appeared I'm confident the Chosen will come by on her way to the Tower and set things right, When she comes, I'm gonna help her stop the Desians, for my mom's sake." Sheena winced when she heard the boy make mention of the Chosen. Lloyd, misinterpreting the motion, stopped mid ramble, a concerned look crossing his handsome, boyish features. "Are you in pain? Wait here, I'll go get my mom, she'll help." And he darted off.

He was gone before Sheena could defuse the situation somehow. She didn't know how, but she was certain she couldn't tell the boy that she'd winced because her attackers (if they could be called that since she had attacked first) had been the chosen and her group, a mercenary, a wizard, and a healer with a very nasty light spell called Photon. A few minutes later and a woman who could only be Lloyd's mother stepped into the room, followed closely by another girl who seemed just a few years younger than Sheena.

Anna was a tired looking woman in her thirties, with streaks of gray running through what had once been a lively brown colored hair that caught the sunlight as gold. Now it was a mousey brown, tired, like the rest of her. Her eyes were deep blue, sapphires of natural beauty, and they seemed glazed and far off. She wore a white gown that had once been larger but tailored down to her petite size. Sheena wasn't a terribly tall person, but she would have stood at least a handspan over the woman.

The woman's assistant was a pretty girl in her late teens. Tall and elegant looking, her blonde hair pulled away from her face and blue eyes glittering in mirth. She wore a traditional peasant's garb, a red dress and white apron over. The teenage girl stood quietly by the door but stared at Sheena with unmasked curiosity, not the hateful kind that Sheena was used to, but a friendly, concerned curiosity that was utterly foreign to the ninja.

The silent older woman walked right up to the bed and stared down at Sheena with emotionless brown eyes. "I thought from the way Lloyd spoke that you were on your deathbed. I suppose it's good to see you doing better, it's been a while since I've seen anyone as close to death as you." She paused. "Ahh, but I'm being rude. Hajimemashite. Watashi no namae wa Anna desu."

"Nihon-go ga hanasemasu!" Sheena exclaimed to Anna, surprised to find someone who could speak like a true Mizuho woman. She rambled off questions to the woman before she could stop herself, overjoyed to find someone so far from home who could talk in her native language.

The woman laughed at the barrage of questions and held up her hands. "Yamare! Stop, I don't know much more than that. Gomen nasai. I didn't exactly formally learn it, you see, and Lloyd says you speak some of our language."

"I'm sorry." Sheena blushingly apologized. "I got excited, it's been years since I was last in Mizuho…" Oops! She covered her mouth quickly, she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about Tethe'alla or Mizuho.

"Is that so? Well, you and I need to talk later, but for now you should rest. That wound on your side has just barely begun to heal, I'm surprised you could travel with such a debilitating injury. Just ask Allie, my niece, if you need anything." With that, Anna gave a little, awkward bow and walked away, leaving the younger woman alone in the room with Sheena.

As soon as the door of the room shut behind Anna, Allie approached the bed with an astonished look on her pretty face. "That's amazing. I never knew aunt Anna could speak in another language. Not only that, but I don't think I've ever seen her talk to anyone as much as she just did to you, not even Lloyd, and he's her son!" She rambled quickly, deftly checking Anna's bandages for signs of blood leaking through then pulling the blanket up over the woman. "I'm amazed, it takes a lot of work to get auntie to talk."

"I don't get it." Sheena confessed. "I thought she was always like that. She seems like such a cheerful woman."

"Oh, my mother says Anna was a very lively young woman once when she was my age, but then when she was about your age, she got pregnant and had Lloyd. Nobody knows what really happened, but since her second child died auntie hasn't been herself." She patted the blankets lightly. "But I digress. I should leave you to sleep. I'll wake you up for dinner."

"No, please wait. I'm not really tired and I'd really rather not be alone." Sheena pleaded. It wasn't that she was afraid of loneliness, but she rather liked the warm energy the people here exerted and the fact that they had helped a complete stranger, let her stay in their home.

"Ah, well. You shouldn't get up, and I've really got to go start on dinner. Maybe Auntie will come in and sit with you. At least until Lloyd comes back from sword practice. Hang on, I'll go ask." With that Allie darted out of the room and Sheena settled down into the soft bed. It was nice here, she decided with a tiny yawn. So nice here. She could stay forever, it seemed.

* * *

"Most desians fight using whips." Karon, the head of the town guard, lectured to the red clad boy who stood before him. The child was nearly an adult, but not quite, having just obtained the age of seventeen and despite the fact that he was half desian himself (or so the rumors went) the boy was driven to master swordsmanship and protect the town from the frequent raids of the Asgard ranch. Without fail, Lloyd, the only child of the former priestess Anna, would seek him out at least twice a week to hone his skills against the older man. "They have more disadvantages than advantages in an actual fight, given that they have almost no potential for defense and are tricky to wield in a desperate battle. You shouldn't underestimate a whip user though. One good slash and you're down from the pain that lingers."

"I know." Lloyd replied grimly, resettling his grip on his practice blade. "I've seen the scars, even if I've never actually been hit."

"I know you know. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't forget, since you can't get any actual practice in. It's important to master theories and apply them quickly in combat against an unknown enemy. It could save your life."

"I know." The boy replied again.

"All right, then. This old fool is done talking, today we're doing more defensive drills." Karon replied with a grim smile. He really admired the boy who had spent most of his life in Luin being treated with quiet pity and resentment. Everybody had loved Anna, to see her in such a reduced state unnerved everyone. A woman who had taken her vows of chastity so seriously and she had returned with a child, there was only one reasonable answer.

Lloyd was like a shield when it came to the rumors. He let them bounce off his skin and went on smiling, laughing with his cousins and caring for his mother. No one in Luin had a son more caring and outgoing than Lloyd; he was everything Anna had been as a child.

The youth wasted no time in pulling the two heavy wooden swords that were his practice blades up as Karon brought his own dulled iron blade down against the boy's defensives. With each quick block on Lloyd's behalf, Karon pulled back and brought the heavy weapon down again in a new position, varying his rhythm as Lloyd continued to block.

Lloyd, in turn, tried to concentrate on the captain but found his attention wavering back to the mysterious young woman from this morning- had it really only been a few hours? To Lloyd it seemed more like days. She was beautiful, her black hair pulled back into a partial bun and her dark brown eyes large and clouded. There was mystery in those eyes, a dark secret that entranced Lloyd all the more. Before the boy realized it one sword was sent flying from his hand as he desperately brought his single remaining weapon up to block the heavy blade of his opponent. The jarring impact of his awkward block and the weight of the sword sent a jolt of pain through Lloyd's arm as he yelped and was forced to drop the sword.

Without a word, Karon reached down and picked up Lloyd's fallen wooden sword and approached the boy with a slight look of concern easily readable on his face. "Are you all right? I don't think I've ever seen you this distant during training before. You failed to block a simple down swing."

"I'm sorry." Lloyd apologized as he tucked his two swords away in their sheaths. "This woman showed up out of nowhere this morning, half dead on the chapel steps. Allie and I were the first there this morning and saw her. I've never seen anyone who looks like her, never before. I mean, everyone in Luin has brown or blonde hair, but her hair is black as night and her eyes are the same color as mine."

Of course, brown eyes were rare but not completely uncommon in Luin. They were a perfectly human trait, unlike black hair which no one anyone in Luin knew possessed. As Lloyd had said, it was an odd trait. This wasn't new news for Karon, who as the captain of the guard was privy to much of the town gossip. No one was quite sure where the woman had come from, or how come the sentries hadn't spotted her before she entered the city.

To be sure, the young women's appearance was shrouded in an uncomfortable mystery. One that worried Karon more than it seemed to worry anyone else.

* * *

Finished! Yay. No, not the story, just this chapter. My notes kind of went out the window a long while ago which is why it's taking so long to get this finished. Many of the ideas are still the same, but a lot of new stuff got added. For instance, Karon (who is a cameo from Princess Tutu) was not in the notes, nor was the conversation between Anna and Sheena where Anna reveals that she may know something of Mizuho).

Quick translation of the Japanese (Nihon'go). At the beginning of the scene where Sheena wakes up the first line is translated but the second line is "My stomach hurts" with the my being implied. Literally it's "stomach is hurt". Anna says "It's very nice to meet you. My name is Anna." To which Sheena exclaims "You speak Japanese!" At the end Anna asks her to stop and then apologizes.

If you understand Japanese and know the culture, you can quickly realize that Sheena isn't very polite as she doesn't introduce herself or reply to Anna's formal greeting in any sort of way but rudely jumps straight to the point.

Anyway, that's all I really wanted to discuss this chapter. More happened than I wanted but it turned out okay.

Next time: Pectoris de Vas (Hearts of Glass)

Sheena's magical healing shocks those of Luin who rely on traditional healing methods rather than exespheres. However, she's quickly adopted into Luin when Lloyd and Allie play hookie from babysitting and Sheena gets the job of watching the two youngest daughters of Saphilla.

Anna, however, has a bad feeling about the mysterious young woman, who will not tell Anna anything more about herself. She can't help but be reminded of painful memories of the past, especially as she watches her son grow closer Sheena.


End file.
